Classifying Severity of Interpersonal Violence in Sport: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The myriad ways in which severity has been conceptualized in domains beyond sport suggest there is no agreement on how to classify the construct. Our objective in this scoping review is to map the extant literature on approaches to classifying severity of interpersonal violence (IV), both against children and against adults. Searches for classification tools were conducted Sep-Nov 2024 using eight databases and professional networks. Eligible tools must have (i) included content on the mechanisms of IV; (ii) included content on the types of IV (e.g., discrimination, harassment), abuse (physical, sexual, psychological), neglect; and (iii) been developed specifically for facilitating the identification, documentation, and/or classification of reported incidents of IV. Tools were excluded if (i) did not meet the inclusion criteria or (ii) did not provide sufficient information to determine the topics covered or the strategies employed in the classification tool. We identified 45 instruments that incorporate one or multiple of the 22 identified dimensions of severity of IV. The three most used dimensions are: norm violation, harmfulness, and intensity. The diverse number of dimensions and strategies of use emphasize the need to standardize data collection on IV and severity in sport. When integrated into a harmonized response framework, an agreed upon strategy for measuring the severity of IV can have implications for determining what events need to be escalated for further attention (including reporting to legal authorities), which type(s) of services are needed by the person who was harmed, types of reparations or indemnification warranted, sanctions and/or services for the person who caused harm.